La Bamba - Silver Spring

The food here is quite good, but the service leaves much to be desired. I was quite taken aback by the hidden 20% service charge for our table of two, and it was uncomfortable to have the waitress hovering as I signed the bill. Generally, I tip well because I believe service workers deserve a living wage; however, I don't think restaurants should impose an additional service charge.

While they didn’t have all the drinks available, being out of Pina Coladas and Mojitos, we enjoyed sharing a Mango Margarita and a Classic Margarita. Both were good, but not quite as exceptional as those from Mi Rancho at the other end of Downtown Silver Spring. The food was a highlight of our visit. The chips and salsa were decent but just your standard free appetizer. However, the Churrasco Guatemalteco (a Guatemalan carne asada) was excellent and tender. The Tilapia Frita (fried tilapia) was a massive whole fish and absolutely delicious. The service was prompt and attentive, which we appreciated. I did notice that the prices on my bill seemed a bit higher than what I recalled from the menu, but my wife thought the prices were correct. When I asked the waitress for a menu, it matched the bill, so I couldn't fault them and felt bad for questioning her. We look forward to returning to La Bamba to try more of their food and perhaps some of their other drinks.

I ordered takeout from this restaurant and was quite disappointed. The enchiladas lacked flavor to the point that I couldn’t even finish the first one. The Pollo en crema was also tasteless, and the beans were extremely bland. When I initially searched for a Guatemalan restaurant, I came across another review suggesting Restaurant Quetzal, and I'm really glad I took that advice. The food at Quetzal was bursting with flavor and definitely worth the extra drive. I wanted to give this place a shot since it’s closer to me, but I won’t be coming back. While the staff were friendly, the lack of flavor in the food is just too much for me to overlook.

Truly a gem in DC, authentic guatemalan food. A place for local central Americans to eat and rest next to the Guatemalan Consulate. Price is fair, food healthy and delicious

I came to dine here on February 2022 with my family of 3. The style of the restaurant is really run down so don’t take anyone here if you’re looking to impress. Hardly anyone was dining there for a Saturday night. No one greated us at the door, it was our first time here so we didn’t know if we seat ourselves, order at the cash register, so we just went and sat down and waited to see if someone would come serve us. Eventually someone did. She even told my husband what he should order and I don’t think he enjoyed it very much. During this whole dining experience, the waitress came by only once. My husband is Guatemalan and he was so ashamed of this place. Quetzal restaurant puts this place to a total shame, this is the worst latino restaurant I’ve ever been to. The beef was a little undercooked, the potato salad was very nasty, had a strong onion taste, they gave us about 2 tablespoons of rice and very little beans. So to pay $21.99 for one plate, the portions were not worth it, neither the food all that great and we were definitely robbed. What can I say? It’s a poor restaurant who doesn’t have a lot to offer. They charged an $18.99 gratuity fee (for what??? and then wanted a tip too. I will not be coming back here again, please don’t take your friends or family here. They’re poor in style, portions, service, food lacking in taste and terrible. They want a lot of money but they cannot put out on a table to match the money they’re asking for!